Baskets and gift certificates 

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Gift certificate to Mint Julep on Church Street

Gift certificate to Serenade Choclatier on Harvard Street in Brookline. www.serenadechocolatier.com/

Gift certificate to Rosie's bakery in Porter Square. Donated by Alison Altman.

Baskets include:

Book Basket donated by Women’s Book Group

Comfort Basket donated by Young Adult Group

Goddess Basket donated by Women’s Sacred Circle

Hot Tub and Afternoon Tea Basket donated by MaryJo Duncan and others

Kids Basket—Mandy Neff and Eileen Sullivan

Meditation Basket by the Buddhist Meditation Group

Spa Basket—donated by Jennie Fitch and others

Tea Sampler Basket donated by Mary Jo Duncan

Wine Lovers Basket—Auction Committee

UU Basket—Carol Agate

Why buy a basket? It is a gift for a special person. It is a gift for you! Divide it up—it can be a gift for several people. Di-vide it up—it can be a gift for others and you can keep some-thing for yourself. Buy a basket and enjoy! Special thanks to the following business for donations:

ART

Book Rack in Arlington www.book-rack.com

Centering Touch—www.centeringtouch.com

Forest Karma—www.forestkarma.com

Middle East Restaurant

Mint Julep

Serenade Choclatier www.serenadechocolatier.com

First Parish Silent  

Community Auction Nov 17 & Nov 24 

  

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For each listing, the dollar amount represents the minimum starting bid. “Accessible” means there are no steps, but not necessarily an accessible lavatory.

What is a Silent Auction?

A silent auction means that all bidding is done by pen. A bidding sheet for each item is on a table or wall in the parlor during social hour and you write in your bid – then you follow how your item is doing – upping your bid as necessary to win. Bidding ends at 12:55pm on November 24th.

If you can’t attend church on November 24, you can still participate. Just email your highest bid by 9 am on November 24 to auction@firstparishcambridge.org.

Why Should I Participate?

The annual silent auction is a great opportunity to get to know one another better while also raising money for the church. The auction supports the First Parish operating budget. One quarter of the funds raised will be donated to the Tuesday Meals Program at First Parish. So please buy generously.

Why register and get a bidding number?

If you registered last year, you will have the same number this year. Numbers are posted on the bulletin board in the parlor. If you didn’t participate last year, please find the Auction Team’s table during social hour and register. Having a number means you won’t have to write your phone number and email address over and over again when you bid. Your name and bidder number will be enough.

Thank you from the Auction Team! Carol Agate, Loring Brinkerhoff, Barbara Cerconi, Margaret Drury, Jan Ellertson, Cushing Giesey, Jennifer Griffith, Ellen Liner, Eileen Sullivan (chair) and Linda West

Tickets  4 tickets - Eliot Street Coffeehouse Presents Three Berk-lee String Quartets. Berklee Faculty String Quartet, featuring Darol Anger (David Grisman Quartet, Republic of Strings, The Furies), Brittany Haas (Crooked Still and Republic of Strings), Catherine Bent and Lena Jonsson, playing contemporary international music from Brazil, Skandinavia, and the US. The International Gals Of Quartetdom Four Corners String Quar-tet. Saturday, December 7, 2013, 8pm First Church in Jamaica Plain, UU, 6 Eliot Street, Jamaica Plain. Donated by: Eliot Street Coffeehouse Value: $40—Minimum Bid: $25

Concert Series for Peace. 2 tickets - Music of Beethoven, including the Violin Sonata in G Major, Opus 96 and the "Archduke" Trio, Opus 97 with Nicholas Kitchen, violin, and Yeesun Kim, cello, both of the Borromeo Quartet, joined by Victor Rosenbaum, piano. will be followed by a reception with the artists. November 23 at 7:30pm at Harvard-Epworth Methodist Church, Cambridge. Donated by Rosalie Anders. Value: $70. Minimum Bid: $50. Winner determined at 1pm on Nov 17,

2 tickets to Bruins Game—donated by Marcia Hams and Susan Shepard. Minimum Bid: $70

2 tckets to Coolidge Corner Theater—donated by Sybil Senters (2 winners) Minimumm Bid: $15

2 tickets to Isabella Gardner Museaum—donated by Sybil Senters (2 winners). Minimum Bid: $20

Tickets are available at mutually agreed upon dates.

2 tickets to ART—donated by ART; thanks to Barbara Ceconi for requesting the donation.. Minimum Bid: $40 Tickets are good for any show Feb-June 2014.

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Homemade Gifts One very good sour cream chocolate cake with mocha frosting. Good for any occasion. Freezes very well. Donated by Kate Ryan. Minimum Bid: $20

One delicious unfrosted bundt cake in flavor of your choice. Choose from: pumpkin*, lemon, buttery choc-chip, orange, orange choc-chip, gingerbread*, spice*, chocolate*, cinnamon coffee cake*, almond. *can be whole wheat.. Donated by Kate Ryan. Minimum Bid: $20

Lovely baby sweater and hat made from recycled cashmere sweaters by Cecilia Michaelis, a member of the Cambridge Artist's Cooperative on Church Street. Minimum Bid: $70

Unique women's mittens made from recycled cashmere sweaters by Cecilia Michaelis, a member of the Cam-bridge Artist's Cooperative on Church Street. Other work by Cecilia can be seen there. Minimum Bid: $55

For three lucky winners, Ellen Liner and Linda West will provide three deliveries of two dozen home-made cookies each, in February, April and May. Minimum Bid:$40

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Peggy Kraft's Lebanese grandfather loved baklava, and she grew up helping her mom make a big tray of this sweet delight to share with family at holidays. Now, she'd like to share that tradition with First Parish. Please bid on a tray of a tray of approximately 2 dozen pieces of home-made baklava (made with walnuts or pistachios). Minimum Bid: $30

During bidding, please be sure to record your name and bidder number at the bottom of the bidding sheet each time you increase your bid. Any dollar amounts that are simply crossed off and overwritten won’t be counted. If you are bidding for two or more places at a dinner or event, please write your name and bid number on two or more separate lines each time.

Table of Contents Community Dinners page 4

Community Events page 10

Services page 15

Vacations page 19

Home Made Gifts page 22

Tickets page 23

Baskets/ Gift Certificate page 24

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Community Dinners Dinner at Cambridge Cooperative. Join our community for a gourmet vegetarian dinner at the oldest cooperative in Cambridge. Hosted by Grey Lee. Wednesday, January 15, 7 pm. $30 minimum bid. 4 winners. Not accessible.

Hitchcock Movie Night and Home-made Pizza. Jennifer Griffith will host an Alfred Hitchcock movie in her Arlington home com-plete with home-made pizza, beer, and popcorn with real butter (no microwaving here). Friday, January 31 at 7 pm. $20 minimum bid. 5 guests. Not accessible. Pets.

A Taste of Ancient Rome. Modern Italian cooking has its roots in the Roman era. Our menu features recipes from Apicius, Cato, and other writers of that period. Hosted by Michael Melford & Dean Traweek. Saturday, February 8, 7 pm in Cambridge. $30 minimum bid. 6 winners. Not accessible.

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  Padanaram Village Enjoy a three-day weekend at a charming waterview house in Padanaram (South Dart-mouth, MA), one of the historic Massachusetts and Rhode Island coastal villages connected by a picturesque scenic drive along old farms and stone walls. Close by are beaches, rivers, nature preserves, hiking trails, and the New Bedford National Historical Park and Whaling Mu-seum. House is a short walk to the village with coffee shop and restaurants. Sleeps 7 people. No pets. Donated by: Jan Ellertsen & Cushing Giesey. June 6-8. Minimum Bid:

$150

Week in Osterville. Stay in a cozy, old-fashioned cot-tage on Cape Cod, on a quiet street near a pond. Internet access, TV, DVD, CD player, ping pong table, deck, char-coal grill. Maximum 4 people, including children. Please, no smoking, no pets. April except for April 18-22. Donated by Grier & Irene Merwin. Minimum Bid; $250

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A week in Vermont near Montpelier. Stay in an authentic Buckminster Fuller Dome House with a two-story addition. The home has a 6 person hot tub, internet, full kitchen, fabulous mattresses, small meditation room and a huge glass enclosed studio for dance or medita-tion. Dog friendly (no cats). Easily houses 6 people. Lo-cated 14 miles from Montpelier. Most spring or summer weeks available except for the first week of July.

Donated by Annique Caplan

Minimum Bid: $300

Lake Winnipesaukee Private 225-foot waterfront on Winter Harbor with small beach and 30- foot dock. Nice house with a large deck, outdoor grill and fully equipped kitchen. Sleeps 10.

Donated by David Ray.

www.demarrer.com/raycraft

June 7-14 or 14-21 (2 winners)

Minimum Bid: $300,

Please note: Winners of vacation homes must be a member or long-term friend of First Parish.

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Russian Maslenitsa. Roughly translated as "Butter week," Maslenitsa is the traditional Russian festival that takes place in the week leading up to Orthodox Lent. Maslenitsa is similar to Carnival or Mardi Gras, but the date is usually different (as it corresponds to Orthodox Easter). The feasting and celebrating also takes a dif-ferent form. The food of choice is bliny, thin pancakes that are similar to crepes. We will serve them stuffed with caviar, cheese, veggies, meats and sweets, along-side hardy soups and plenty of vodka. This dinner is vegetarian friendly. Hosted by Mara Voorhees & Gerald Easter in Somerville. Saturday, February 22, 7 pm. $30 minimum bid. 8 winners. Cats. Not accessible.

Latin American Buffet Dinner. Come to Lilia and Sam's home in West Medford for a cozy evening of good food and conversation. Rev. Lilia Cuervo will pre-pare authentic Latin American dishes to be served buffet style. There will be both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Saturday, March 1, 6:30pm. $40 minimum bid. 12 guests. No pets. Accessible.

Irish Guinness Stew. Like many Americans, Irish are also reconnecting with healthy local food. Join Eileen Sullivan and Brenda Leahy at Brenda’s Somer-ville home for a modern twist on Guinness Stew, roasted vegetables and Irish treats. Celebrate St. Pat-rick's Day early. Saturday, March 15 at 7pm.

Minimum bid: $30. 6 winners. Cats.  

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Earth Hour Dinner. Come enjoy a delicious vegetarian meal (complete with wine and dessert) by candlelight at Jennifer Griffith’s home in East Arling-ton in recognition of Earth Hour. Each year since 2007 the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) has organized Earth Hour on the last Saturday of March. Join hundreds of millions of people around the world, in thousands of cities, on all seven continents, and switch off the lights to display a universal commit-ment to protect the planet. Hosted by Jennifer Griffith and Michele Sprengnether. Saturday, March 29th. $30 minimum bid; 6 guests. Cat and dog. Not accessible.

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Jerusalem Dinner. Come and enjoy the tastes of the Mediterranean combined with the Middle East in a menu picked from the Jerusalem Cook-book by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. Exotic spices, fresh ingredients combined expertly, along with wine and drinks from the region. Along with the scrumptious dinner, good talk and fun with other First Parish people for an unbeatable evening. This will be Patrick Sullivan and Louise DeIasi eighth year of hosting an auction dinner and promises to be the best yet. Saturday, April 5th at 7pm.

$50 minimum bid. 8 guests.

Not accessible.

Porter Square in Cambridge.

Vacations  

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French Countryside Enjoy a week in the French countryside. Les Lis is a three-bedroom, 500-year-old stone house perched on top of a steep hill in the quiet medieval town of St. Bresson, in the Languedoc. The winner can choose from available weeks April-June 2014. The week is Saturday to Saturday. Learn more at :

www.leslisfrance.com. The generous owner is willing to help the winner negotiate a cheap car rental, share travel tips about the area, and even hook up the winning bidder with cheap French lessons over the internet. No pets. Donated by Lee Steffy Jenkins. Minimum Bid: $500;

Getaway in Vermont Surrounded by huge firs, this Green Mountain small post and beam home is charm-ing and worth the 4-hour drive from Cambridge. Two hours from Montreal, this northern paradise has a view of Mt. Mansfield. Located near Barton and Glover and close to Craftsbury with goat and dairy farms close by. Coyote, fox and moose abound. The tall spruces and pine forest give a beauty and special serenity to visitors. The house is all prepared for guests. Sorry, no pets. Directions for use of house and discussion with winner seals the deal. Two adults or family are sug-gested. Donated by Ellen Mass. 5 days in spring or fall. Minimum Bid: $250

 

Un-cluttering Assistance. Judy Eisenberg, the Clutter Clearer Coach (www.ClutterClearerCoach.com), is a Somer-ville-based. Professional Organizer who helps people un-clutter and reorganize their homes and offices. She'll help you set up simple and practical organizational systems you can maintain on your own. You will find that the clutter clear-ing process will simplify your life, bring you peace of mind, more energy and better control over your life. Donation is one 2.5 hour session; includes ½ hour assessment of cluttered home or office, and 2 hours of hands-on-side-by-side un-cluttering. Minimum bid: $100

90-Minute Holistic Massage A deeply relaxing and therapeutic massage. Get relief from that nagging muscle pain and tension, de-stress and rejuvenate your whole sys-tem — body, mind, and spirit. Katrina Piehler, is a nationally certified, licensed massage therapist and owner of Centering Touch Massage Therapy & Bodywork near Teele Square. (www.centeringtouch.com). With over ten years of experi-ence, Katrina's skills and intuitive touch powerfully facilitate your ability to re-center yourself in health. Minimum Bid: $90. 75-Minute Thai Yoga Massage Thai Massage is a powerfully meditative and rejuvenating, movement-oriented style of bodywork. Receive the work on a futon mat on the floor. And similar to shiatsu, remain fully clothed. A session combines gentle assisted stretching with energy balancing acupressure in a flowing rhythmic massage. Katrina Piehler is the owner of Centering Touch Massage Therapy & Body-work (www.centeringtouch. com). Minimum Bid: $75.

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Energy Healing Session Rev Dorothea Juno-Johnston has developed a practice of energy work in which her hands are directly on the client to help each individual access their innermost personal guidance. She is guided by spiritual, intuitive listening. Music is often part of the session. She is an ordained minister of the Church of the Sacred Earth. She is a credentialed practitioner/ teacher of Thera-peutic Touch and also a Reiki Master. She offers 60-miniute sessions at her home in Somerville, near Union Square. Minimum Bid: $60. 3 winners.

Moroccan Dinner. Whether or not you have visited Morocco or the closest you have gotten is imagining yourself at Rick's Cafe in Casablanca you can sample the exotic flavors of this beautiful and exciting country with a festive dinner. Please join Sylvia Wheeler and Linda Clark in celebrating the food and traditions of Morocco with an evening that will encourage everyone to share their travel adventures to new places — bring a few pictures of your favorite trip — we will all imagine where our next journey may lead. Time-tested dishes will include meat or vegetarian. Wine and Moroccan beverages will be served. Saturday, April 12, 6 p.m. Minimum bid: $30. 7 guests. Not accessible.

Monopoly and Asian Dinner. Spend a casual eve-ning playing the classic game of Monopoly, enjoying good conversation with other FP members and having a dinner of summer rolls (shrimp or tofu) and sesame noodles with grilled vegetables plus wine, dessert and tea. Hosted by Eileen Sullivan. Saturday, April 26 at 5pm. Minimum Bid: $20. 5 guests. Not accessible. Somerville.

Caribbean Dinner. Join Connie and Ernie Kirwan for dinner at their Cambridge house. Gwen Cranmore will cook a Caribbean meal and tell a few stories about growing up in Guyana. Tuesday, April 15th at 6pm. Minimum Bid: $30. 6 guests.

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A Culinary Journey through Southeast Asia

Join noted (First Parish!) chefs Lyn & Arthur Lidsky and Lisa Dobberteen for a wonderful evening of S. E. Asian food. Look forward to fragrant soups, beautiful vegetables, unusual spices and more from Thailand, Vietnam, Cam-bodia and other parts of S. E. Asia. Wine pairings to match — choosing wines to go with this special cuisine is a fun challenge. Wonderful food, wine and First Parish collegiality and conversation for a great evening. Saturday, May 17, 6 pm. Minimum bid: $40. 9 guests. Not accessible, pets. Belmont near Cambridge line.

Progressive Dinner. Return of the popular North Cambridge Progressive Dinner. You will travel from house to house for each course. The meal will include delicious vegetarian options.. Hosted by: Susan Shepherd and Marcia Hams, Gloria Korsman and Kerrie Harthan, Marcia Yousik, Margaret Drury. Saturday, May 31st. Minimum Bid: $40. 12 guests.

Indian Dinner Come and enjoy some great Indian food at Rashid Shaikh and Sharon deVos' home in Inman Square. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes will be avail-able. Food will be spicy but not hot — in other words, you will be able to enjoy the tastes without sweating. Saturday, June 14th. Minimum Bid: $40. 8 winners. Not accessible. Pets.

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 Out-of-Town “Chauffeuring” Without a car and want to go out-of-town? Sam Berliner III will provide the car and drive the highest bidder to a destination within a half-day's distance from Cambridge. You can run your errand and he will drive you back the same day, or you can decide to make your own way home another day. Alternatively, Sam will bring you home from an out-of-town location to which you've previously gotten yourself. Minimum Bid :$50. Feb-August 2014. 

Computer Help: Macs and PCs Up to three hours of help with a wide range of computer-related issues. Steve Hanna is knowledgeable about both Macs and PCs. Minimum Bid: $50. Feb-Aug 2014

Local “Chauffeuring”. Without a car and need to run an errand locally? Sam Berliner will provide the car and drive the highest bidder(s) to a destination in the Greater Boston area, wait while the task is being done, and then drive the winner back home, providing friendly conversation along the way. Sorry, no pets. $10 per hour (pay on day of errand. 2 winners. Feb-Aug 2014.

Gardening. One hour of professional consultation on your garden and/or landscaping. Judy Eisenberg, proprie-tor of Sun and Shade Gardening has been gardening pro-fessionally and organically with a personal touch for over ten years. Her services also include garden design, instal-lation, maintenance, and side-by-side garden coaching.(www.SunandShadeGardening.com) . Minimum Bid: $75.

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Pet Sitting. Grace Hall offers to come to your home, at a location accessible by T, to care for your dog (or cat) while you are away for a weekend. Grace would consider staying in your home if this would help your pet. This service would need to take place at a mutually agreeable date. Minimum Bid: $75.

Career Counseling One-on-one consultation in whatever career issues you wish (resumes, job search, career change, etc.) by experienced career counselor. Ken Mattsson. One and a half hours. $50 minimum bid.

Fundraising Consulting. First Parish Member Shaun Paul offers a telephone intake interview to define the consultation goals for a follow up one-to-two hour meeting with the lucky winner to address the burning questions to get the financing to support your mission. Shaun can work one-on-one or in groups with donors, volunteers, non-profit staff and/or boards of directors. Shaun assured $80 million during his 25 years raising money for mission as a founder and executive director for international social justice and environmental groups. Normal value of consultation is $750. Minimum Bid: $200. Between Feb 1-June 30, 2014

Gardening. Garden planning and planting with Pepper Greene's help. This is a two-part service: help in plan-ning the garden followed by help in the planting. Pepper owns “Pepper Greenary” gardening business. Minimum Bid: $45. 2 winners. Between Feb-June 2014.

DeCluttering. Two winning bidders will schedule a 2-hour session where Pepper Greene will come to your home or office to help with decluttering. Minimum Bid:$45. 2 winners.

Choose the Sunday Sermon. For the highest bidder, Rev. Lilia Cuervo will deliver a sermon on a topic of your choosing. Lilia will meet with you to discuss your topic and ideas before preparing the sermon. Minimum Bid: $100

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Southern Cooking in Rozzie. Join LeLaina Romero and Rev. Mykal Slack to share a genuine southern meal in their home in Roslindale.

Friday, July 18, 6pm

Minimum bid: $30.

4 winners.

Not accessible.

Spanish Wines and Tapas. Join Mark and Juliette Pickering at their Watertown home for an evening of Spanish wine tasting and tapas.

Sunday, July 13, 6pm

Minimum Bid $30

6 winners

Dinners are popular and a great way to meet new people or get to know people better.

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Community Events Dessert and Games Night Can you draw "applesauce" or make up a definition for "woppitzer" before the time runs out? Always wanted to see your fel-low church-goers act out Michele Bachmann or Michael Jackson? Brush up on your charades and Pictionary skills and join us for an evening of fun and games that will be sure to keep you laughing and guessing! We'll supply a comfortable living room, delectable desserts, scrump-tious hot cider, creative games and assertive referees as needed. You just bring your silly side. P.S. because we know you are wondering... def. WOPPITZER: Someone with body odor or bad breath who hangs around card games offering gratuitous advice and unwanted opinions, commenting on the play, and generally being obnoxious. Donated by: Trish Reid and Elke Jahns Satur-day, January 18, 7 pm. Minimum bid: $15. 8 winners. Not accessible. East Arlington. 

Finnish Coffee Party. Warm up on a winter afternoon. Join Gloria Korsman at her North Cam-bridge condo for plenty of hot coffee, open-faced sandwiches, cardamom coffee bread, cake, and cookies will be served.

Saturday, February 1st, 3pm. Minimum Bid: $15. 10 guests.

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Services A Gentle Introduction to Spanish (for First Parish Worship). For members and friends with no Spanish experience - learn basic pronunciation, First Parish Covenant. Sing through common Spanish hymns. Hosted by Karin Lin and Lucy Nunn at Karen’s North Cambridge home. Sunday, January 26th at 7pm. Minimum Bid: $20. 10 guests.

Legal Services Up to two hours of legal services for each of two winners. Attorney Mike Wiggins, a long-time member of First Parish and counsel to the church, special-izes in real estate and zoning law, business law and non-profit organizations, wills and trusts, and estate administra-tion. He will meet with you either at his office or a place of your choice to answer your legal questions and address your needs and concerns. Minimum Bid: $200. 2 winners.

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Simple Wills—For a Couple Don McInnes is an attorney practicing law in Harvard Square, concentrating on estate planning. He will prepare a pair of simple wills for any two part-ners. A simple will leaves every-thing to one named individual and in the event of that person's death to the children or other chosen individuals. Don's usual fee for this is $1000. If your needs are more complex, you will have a $1000 credit against his fee. Minimum Bid: $250

Simple Will—For an Individual Don McInnes is an attorney practicing law in Harvard Square, concentrating on estate planning. He will prepare a simple will for a single person. A simple will leaves everything to one or more chosen individuals. Don's usual fee for this is $700. If your needs are more complex, you will have a $700 credit against his fee. Minimum Bid: $150.   

Adult Pool Party Join Rev. Lilia Cuervo and Sam Ber-liner for a casual pool party at their Medford home. Swim in their unheated pool and enjoy a relaxing summer after-noon with conversation and snacks. This party is adults only. (Lilia and Sam will be hosting a pool party on another date for RE families.) Saturday, July 12th, from 3 pm Minimum Bid: $20 20 guests No pets. Accessible

Summer Sangria and Tapas. Welcome summer by sampling 4 sangrias. Join Gloria Korsman, Brenda Leahy, Eileen Sullivan, and Nan Waldstein for red and white sangria, ice tea and tapas in Gloria’s backyard in North Cambridge. Saturday, June 28th 3-5pm. Minimum Bid $20 15 guests Not accessible.

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Reminder: When bidding, return to look at how your bid is doing. If others have “out-bid” you, increase your bid amount to win the item. When changing the amount of your bid, cross out your previous bid and write a new bid beneath current bids. If you are confused, ask an Auction Committee member for help.

Songs by Fred, Desserts by Jackie With no concert this spring because Rev. Fred Small will be on sabbatical, he will sing some of his own songs for this year's auction event. Jackie Truesdale will again make an assortment of delicious desserts. Come enjoy this mix of sing-a-long and coffeehouse. A new feature is that both will take requests. Successful bidders will be asked what songs they would like to hear and desserts they would like to eat. Fred and Jackie will choose from among those requests.

Donated by: Fred Small, Jackie Truesdale, and Carol Agate.

Friday, February 7, 7:30 pm.

Minimum bid: $20. 25 winners.

North Cambridge. Accessible.

Sunday Brunch by the Wood Stove. Mostly local (MA or VT) sourced ingredients for fresh squeezed juices, mimosas, eggs/tofu Benedict, homemade scones, other seasonal foods, fresh ground poured coffee, and surprise dessert. Alternative diets joyfully accommo-dated. Join Charlene Galarneau & Don Tucker for a warm convivial brunch together.

Sunday, February 9, at 12:30 pm.

Minimum bid: $30. 6 winners.

Not accessible.      

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In Vino Verita. Head over to Loring Brinckerhoff's, a short walk from Harvard Square, for a special evening of tasting wines along with some delicious and unusual cheeses. Expect some education to go along with the libation — this is a wine and cheese party with subtle but sophisticated educational undertones. Friday, March 14th at 6:30 pm; Minimum Bid: $20. 8 guests.

Women’s Tarot Cards. The women's sacred circle is offering an evening of tarot card readings for women in the First Parish parlor. The tarot has been used for centuries to reveal hidden truths and provide insight. Each participant will have the chance to experience several readings with different types of cards. Tea and dessert will be served. Friday, March 7th, 7:30pm. Minimum Bid: $25. 10 guests

L Word viewing and simple dinner. View selections from L-Word, a 2004-2009 television drama series about a group of queer friends struggling with romance and careers in Los Angeles. The viewings will take place on first four Monday evenings in March (March 3, 10, 17, and 24) starting at 7pm. Simple, seasonal vegetarian meals will be served by Gloria Kors-man at her North Cambridge condo. Minimum Bid: $50 for series. 6 guests. Not accessible. Cats.

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Spring Hike in Middlesex Fells. Join DRE Mandy Neff for a spring hike! Get back outside and enjoy buds, birds and views with your friends from First Parish. This event is family- and dog-friendly. Come explore the beautiful nearby Middlesex Fells. Saturday, April 12th 10am-12noon. Minimum bid: $10 per person; Family maximum bid: $25. Dogs are free. 25 winners.

Cava and Conversation. A sparkling spring after-noon of music, champagne, hors d'oeuvres and desserts at the Brookline home of Irene and Grier Merwin, featuring songs of Johnny Mercer, in honor of his 105th birthday, performed by soprano (and FP section leader) Renee Saindon, and mezzo-soprano (and former FP section leader), Michelle Vachon, accompanied by pianist Emily Murphy. Sunday, April 27th at 3:30pm Minimum Bid: $30. 8 guests.

Afternoon Patio Party. Join Peg Slote at her Somerville home for a BISTRO leisure afternoon of light drinks and nibbles and the opportunity to get to know each other better PLUS a visit to a very tiny house (circa 1914) on the premises. Near Davis Square. Saturday, May 3rd at 2pm. Minimum Bid: $10. 8 guests.

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